The Mugiwara Pirates and the Dragon Empress
by jacob-emmettluvr
Summary: Our favorite green-haired swordsman is stranded on a remote island with the ghost princess, Perona. When everyone hears the result of Luffy's brave yet utterly stupid plan to free Ace, the crew plans to regroup. Slightly diff.sum inside! I love reviews :D
1. Separated

**Summary:** _Our favorite green-haired swordsman is stranded on a remote island with the ghost princess, Perona. When everyone hears of Luffy's brave yet utterly stupid plan to free Ace, the crew plans to regroup. But how's Zoro supposed to escape, after being so badly wounded by Kuma? And who's this mysterious Nieve? What does she have to do with anything? _

**Author's Note:** Okay, okay, I know what your all thinking. WHY AM I NOT WORKING ON MY OTHER FANFIC THE LOST GIRL? Well, people, the answer to that question is that I'm having a bit of a writer's block, although its sort of going away piece by piece and I know I haven't updated in awhile so I'm hoping writing another fanfiction will inspire me to write another chapter! So, without further ado, I present to you my first One Piece fanfic (*squeals happily* I love that show!)

**Disclaimer: **I do not own One Piece. If I did Luffy and 

Nami would so would Zoro and Robin. Oh, and Chopper would rule the world XD

The Mugiwara Pirates and the Dragon Empress

Chapter One: Separated

Roranora Zoro was in deep trouble. Not only was he unable to move, bound by bandages, but the enemy next to him, armed and dangerous, with his weapons. Beside him, Perona watched as the swordsman struggled to get up, but couldn't. She was the great Ghost Princess and she made sure the Negatives hid the swords well away from their master's piercing eyes. When he had finally noticed her watching him in distain, he'd tensed up and glared at her with everything he had. She glared right back.

"Hey where are my swords?"

"Safely locked away."

"Give them to me."

"And get chopped in half? I'm not as stupid you look." She smirked and he snorted. _This guy is one of the Mugiara Pirates. That fearsome Sogeking had been a part of that crew. I'm lucky I only ran into this swordsman. He must be the Sogeking's underling._ She thought, although she was doubtful. The man lying before her had beaten that legendary Samurai on the first try, unlike that annoying Humming Brook. That same man was now bed-ridden and wounded to a point that it seemed as if he was surely dead. What had he done to get beat up so bad, let alone get beat up at all? But she knew what had happened. She'd known it from the moment she found his bloodied and beaten body in the large paw-shaped crater on the beach.

"So, what did you do to get on Bartholemew Kuma's bad side?" Perona asked, feigning interest. She unconsciously leaned a little closer. His face had become hard and he looked at Perona with a new fire in his eyes.

"Nothing." He growled.

"Uh-huh. Is that so? Then where's your little crew of headaches?" She smirked, knowing she had him cornered. Zoro's expression didn't change. He held her gaze and regarded her seriously.

"I left them." Her eyes narrowed.

"Why?"

"That's none of your business." They spent another minute glaring at each other. Zoro shifted  
anxiously on the bed. He had to get off of this island he knew nothing about. He had to find out if everyone was alright. He pictured all of them on the ship, laughing and shouting "Kanpai!" Zoro may have been a loner from the start, but they were his nakama and they were in trouble. He also had to make sure Luffy didn't get himself caught by the marines. The last thing the Mugiwaras needed was for their enemies to know what had become of them. Not the whole truth, anyway.

"Give me my swords and I'll tell you a piece of the truth." He finally proposed, grudgingly. The Ghost Princess smirked in satisfaction, pleased with his answer, and ordered her Negative ghosts to fetch the three swords. Although she was taking a big risk, she was far more interested in the agendas of the Mugiwaras. On the other hand, she could always strike him with one of her special ghosts. After all, he wasn't like the Sogeking. She shuddered at the thought.

Suddenly the ghosts reappeared and dropped the swords on Zoro's lap. He immediately felt secure knowing they were safely back with him. He turned his attention Perona and nodded stiffly at her. She regarded him with a cold stare.

"Talk." She commanded. He huffed in annoyance.

"Well, it all started when we arrived at the Sabody Archipelago—" He immediately cut off for his story was interrupted by a scream. It was soft, as if it was coming from far away, but he could hear it clearly. He and Perona jumped up (well she did) and he immediately looked to the window. Without thinking he punched through the stained glass, shaddering the window all together. He vaguely heard Perona snap behind him, "Hey don't break my windows!"

He leaned out of it, momentarily blinded by the bright afternoon sun. He looked down, mildly surprised to see he was at least five stories high, in one of the castle's taller towers, and then looked up. He could see a black dot, vaguely the shape of a human, high in the sky. He was quite aware of his ears ringing.

The dot was gradually getting bigger and he could now see the outline of a person falling from the sky. From the sky, huh? That's odd. Zoro thought. Now he knew what the ringing in his ears was. He could hear the person perfectly now.

"HEEEELP MEEEE!"

Acting out on instinct, Zoro pounced out the window, his swords swinging on his hip. An instant later a girl around fifteen or sixteen appeared, bridal style in his arms. Her brown hair was frizzed and she looked greatly ruffled. She looked up at him with beautiful amber eyes etched with fear and relief.

"Arigatou. I'm forever in your debt. What's your name? I'm Nieve, but you can just call me Eve. Oooh, are you a swordsman? You must be really strong then! Look, I know you look a little preoccupied at the moment but the fact that we're dangling from a window seems a bit questionable to me. Have you ever done something like this before?" she said, although Zoro barely caught what she was saying.

"I…it's…Zoro!" he gasped.

Zoro had managed to grab onto the ledge just under the window he had broken through. His body strained against the added weight and he knew his wounds were reopening. Peron's head poked through the window and she gasped at the two down below.

"Marmio!"

"Who the hell are you calling a marmio, ero-cook?!" Zoro snapped automatically but was slightly disappointed to see not Sanji but Perona extending her hand towards him. Meanwhile, Nieve had noticed the blood welling up from Zoro's wounds and realized that seeing blood was not a good thing. She looked thoughtfully up at Zoro as he struggled to keep them both from falling. She then realized that it was also wrong to let her savior stay in such pain. She had to stop the pain, she concluded to herself. So she straightened her hand, putting all of her fingers together, and said,

"This is for your own good, Zoro-sama." Zoro looked down at her in surprise. Did she call me Zoro-sama?

"My name is not Zoro-sama it's just Z—" He was about to finish when she jabbed him in the side, right where one of his bigger wounds had started to reopen, and the pain was so sudden and great that he let go of the ledge. The last thing he thought (quite dryly I might add) as they were falling was: _How am I going to find the others now?_

And then he blacked out.

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SOOO THAT'S THE FIRST CHAPTER! Tell me what you think, but try not to be too mean. I'll update as soon as I get some reviews.

Jacob-emmettluvr


	2. Nieve

**Author's Note:** Here is Chapter Two! Thanks for the reviews and giving this a chance! Its kinda lame but whatever. Sorry for the OOCness! Lots of mistakes cause my spelling sucks XP

**Disclaimer:** I do not own One Piece.

Chapter Two: Nieve

_He felt fear coursing through his veins, stabbing at his heart. This was the end. It had to be._

"_Hey, Zoro…this is no time to be standing around talking! Quick!" He heard Usopp's voice warning him from behind. Would Usopp survive if he died at this very moment? He saw Barthoelmew Kuma slip his hand out of his glove. _

"_If you are going on a trip, where would you like to go?" He said in his soft-spoken voice. Those words sent terrible chills up Zoro's spine. His mind was racing. _What would they do without him? How would Luffy become Pirate King now?

"_Hey Zoro! Run away from here quickly!" Usopp said in a high-pitched voice. He shakily reached his hand out towards Zoro, never taking his eyes off of the tyrant. _

_Barthomelew raised his hand as if to bat a fly out of his face and swung it in Zoro's direction. _This is the end!

***

Zoro awoke suddenly when he felt something wet dab gently against his wounds. Instinctively he grabbed their wrist and reached for his swords, relieved to see they were still there. He opened his eyes and saw the sixteen-year-old he had risked his life to save staring at him in surprise. Although Zoro wasn't the type to swoon over women, unlike a certain ero-cook, he had to admit she was beautiful. He could see her more clearly now.

She had slightly copper skin with big full lips and her hair was pulled back in a pony-tail with little tufts hanging on in each side of her face **(A/N: Kind of like Yoruichi from Bleach)** and even tied up her hair reached her mid-back. Her long eyelashes complimented her honey colored eyes and he was momentarily stunned when she greeted him with a fabulous smile.

"Congratulations, Zoro-sama! You're not dead!"

He grunted and let go of her. He looked around and realized he was in some kind of hut. It was small but cozy enough, as if it were made for one person's comfort.

"Who are you?" He grumbled to her. She smiled widely back.

"I'm the guardian of this island. I'm not sure whose it is but I'm also supposed to be guarding some pirates' treasure. They're mean folk, you know! They hit poor Nieve on the head and now I can't remember anything about why I'm on this island. Say, Zoro-sama, with all those wounds and big swords you kinda look like a pirate, too." Her smile seemed frozen in place.

"You're not a pirate…right?"

"………."

That's when Nieve remembered hearing about a fearsome pirate crew that recently been defeated by the powerful Barthelomew Kuma. Their fiercest crewmembers had been Monkey D. Luffy, a bloodthirsty rubberman, a demon child named Nico Robin, and…the terrifying swordsman Roranora Zoro. Uh-oh.

"AAAAH! What has Nieve done! How stupid of you to get involved with another ferocious pirate crew! Please don't kill me, Zoro-sama! I don't wanna die T_T!" Zoro jumped as Nieve wrapped her arms around his waist, tears streaming out of her eyes.

"Get off me, woman!"

"I hate pirates!"

"I don't care! Let go!"

"I can't!"

"Why the hell not?!"

"My arms fell asleep! Waah!"

"IDIOT! We're gonna fall—"

They tumbled onto the floor. Luckily Zoro's head broke the fall. There was silence for awhile. Then Nieve lifted her head and looked at Zoro with big sad eyes.

"Zoro-sama? Sniff Are you going to kill me?" She whimpered.

"I am definitely thinking about it!" He snapped. He peeled her off of him and stood up, quickly backing away.

"Look, I'm not going to kill you. I need to get off of this island. You're the guardian of it, right? You could show me the way."

"Why does Zoro-sama need to get off of this island?"

"I need to find my crew."

"…Nieve will help you."

"Eh? Really?" He looked doubtful.

"But you're going to have to trust me."

". . .Why should I trust you?"

"Because Nieve is your slave forever until she can repay you for saving her. It is the law of this island."

"Nani?! What's so special about this island?"

"They say a mystical dragon lives here."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"I'm your only ticket out of here. I am the dragon that lives on this island and your are my master."

". . . . ?!"

* * *

So what do you think? I'll try to make it more interesting in later chapters. Luffy and the others will appear eventually, don't worry! Read and Review, thanks a bunch!

Jacob-emmettluvr


	3. Ticket

**Author's Note:** Okay guys, I'm not gonna lie. It's been, like, a million years since I last updated and I really really want to finish this one! So even though my brain is moving slowly, I promise I'll start updating whenever I get a spark of ideas. I already kind of know the plot but nothing is totally set in stone. My mind's just hormonal that way.

**IMPORTANT NOTE**: I am completely up-to-date on both the Japanese anime and manga of One Piece. I know about everything that happened with Ace and all that stuff so I'm gonna warn you now that this story isn't going to be exactly following the manga's recent series of events. I know this would definitely never happen in the actual series but that's what makes it a fanfiction, right? Even though I don't know a lot about some of the newest characters, I'm still making one of them the main bad guy so sorry if it seems a little out of character. Also, I know the way Nieve talks is weird but the point is that she's kind of a moron (at least that's what Zoro thinks) and she switches between talking normal and talking in third person.

Thanks for reading and sticking with it! I know this sounds like a freaking weird idea but hey, that's just how I roll. Reviews are HIGHLY appreciated (those and seeing Zoro half-naked—just sayin') and ideas are very welcome.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own One Piece (That's probably a good thing. There'd be way to much romance X3)

*Inspiration for this chapter is courtesy of Heaven Help Us by My Chemical Romance and Super Mario World (Rock Version). Don't ask.

-Jacob-emmettluvr

* * *

Chapter Three: Ticket

It took about five minutes for Zoro to find his voice. It took about ten for him to put his swords down.

All he could think about was what Nieve had told him. She was a dragon. He was her master. He was almost positive the only reason he wasn't totally freaking out was because he'd dealt with things weirder than this while sailing the Grand Line. _Why does this always happen to me?_ He thought hopelessly.

Things like this never happened to anyone else in the crew. Even if it did, Luffy would probably ask Nieve an extremely stupid question, like if she could poop or something; Nami wouldn't want anything to do with her; Sanji would instantly start flirting with her; Usopp, Brook, and Chopper would be terrified; Robin would probably want to know her entire life story; and Franky, well, he wasn't sure what Franky would do. He'd probably strike a weird pose and say, "That's one SUPA power you have, on-ii chan!"

Zoro was thinking so hard (I know, shocking) that he didn't notice Nieve was inspecting one of his swords in her hands.

"Say, Zoro-sama, these swords are beautiful. Can I have one?" She asked wondrously, inspecting a sheathed Wado.

"When did you steal that!" he shouted and snatched it back. He growled at her and she stared innocently back.

"Please Zoro-sama? Just one?" Zoro touched each sword's hilt.

"No. These are cursed swords, not toys. You probably wouldn't be able to control them and eventually die. These swords need a master who is strong and ready to battle at anytime—not some baka who goes around telling people they're a dragon." Zoro said, narrowing his eyes at the tan-skinned girl. Unoffended, she smiled cheerily back.

"Oh Nieve doesn't lie. Not all the time. Nieve really is a dragon and you really are my master. It'd be against Nieve's morals if she didn't pledge herself to the one who saved her. I'm your slave until I feel I've repaid my debt to you—or until one of us is dead."

Anyone who knew Zoro knew that he was _not_ a pervert. He wasn't like that Ero-cook. But the word "slave" got him thinking. He wasn't totally sure how he felt about all this. He'd always been a loner and even when he'd joined the Mugiwaras (Luffy's one-man crew actually) he'd always preferred to do things on his own. Still, he could picture the outrage on that Curly-Brow's face perfectly when he finds out that Zoro had a slave and not him.

"Then if what you're saying is true, than how did you come to be trapped on this island like I am? Surely you wouldn't want to call a place like this home?" Zoro inquired.

"Well, Nieve is terrible with directions—especially on the ocean—and Nieve accidently ended up on this island. A group of pirates docked their ship around the same time and they captured Nieve and took her as their prisoner. I'd only been on the island for about three minutes." Comical tears were streaming out of Nieve's eyes and Zoro sweat dropped. _How could someone get caught so quickly?_

"They were here to bury their treasure, since it was common knowledge that this island was no longer inhabited—at least that's what they had said—and they forced me to guard their treasure until they came back. They threatened to kill me and throw me in the ocean—Nieve is very terrified of water—and so I had no choice but to do as they said. They told me they would always have someone watching me, to make sure I didn't leave the island, and then they left—after hitting poor Nieve on the head and knocking me unconscious." At the memory, Nieve winced and rubbed the top of her head.

"Where did the pirates go?" Zoro asked, a crude slide-show of the events she was explaining appearing in his head.

"They said they were headed for somewhere called the New World. They called themselves the Blonde-Beard Pirates…or was it the Yellow-Haired Pirates…?" Nieve looked thoughtful. Zoro rolled his eyes.

"Nieve, I've never heard of anybody called the Yellow-Beard Pirates but I can assure you there is no one watching you. I'm sure that's just something they made-up to scare you and keep you from leaving the island. You could leave at any time." Zoro said.

Nieve's entire body and expression seemed to lighten up. "REALLY? HOW CLEVER!"

An idea reached Zoro's moss-covered head and he wondered if he could use the treasure to get off the island. He wasn't interested in getting all of the booty for himself but he was sure it would come in handy if he ever actually did get off of this stupid island. He highly doubted those pirates would be coming back from the New World, if they even survived it. He'd heard enough horror stories to know that it wasn't like taking a vacation on a deserted island with palm trees and all that junk.

"Nieve, do you know where the treasure is?" he asked. A cheerful expression appeared on Nieve's face and she raised a finger to her cheek.

"Nope! Nieve has a selective memory and I like to forget bad things!" Nieve laughed shamelessly, scratching her head.

"THAT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE!" Zoro snapped, positive she was just messing with him. "Then how come you remembered everything else?"

Nieve blinked in surprise and pounded her fist in her palm. "Ah, you're right! Nieve should forget all of that."

"THAT'S NOT SOMETHING SOMEONE EASILY FORGETS! And make up your mind! Do you speak in third person or not?" Zoro demanded.

Nieve sniffed. "I speak however I want."

"Moron…" Already this girl was trying his patience. He wasn't sure how much longer he could stand being on this island. He rubbed his temple, as if that would somehow make him feel better. Okay, so Nieve was a dragon. So what? Luffy was a Rubberman, Robin could sprout body parts everywhere, Chopper was a talking reindeer, Brook was talking _skeleton, _and Franky wore Speedos all the time. He could deal with this. No problem.

"Look, my goal is to get off this island and meet up with my crew. I don't have a boat and I don't know how to build one so I can't leave this place on my own. If you help me, I'll call us even and we can go our separate ways once we find my crew, understand? So will you help me?"

Nieve stared calculatingly at him. Her amber eyes examined his green hair, his dark eyes, his bandaged wounds, and the three swords that hung on his sash. She looked strangely calm, almost serious.

"Is your crew strong?" She asked him unexpectedly. Zoro's expression didn't change in the slightest.

"They're the strongest people I know."

Nieve smiled. "I will help you, even though you're a pirate. Follow me."

Nieve stood up and ran out of the hut. Zoro jogged after her and was blinded by a sudden light. He blinked furiously, trying to see, and he let out a loud gasp of surprise. He had been only seconds away from blindly running out of the hut and over the edge of the cliff. He might have actually gone over if he hadn't stopped just in time. The hut, which looked more like a pile of rocks on the outside, sat right next to a raging river. Merely feet from the mouth of the hut was a giant dead tree and a huge drop-off. Zoro stared over the cliff. A waterfall roared literally right next to him, pooling hundreds of feet below and connecting with another river.

Despite the majestic rainbow the waterfall was emitting, Zoro noticed the rest of the forest around them was extremely gloomy and eerie, filled with a light dusting of mist. He thought of Water 7 when he looked at the rainbow and then Thriller Bark when he gazed upon the spooky forest.

"_If you could take a vacation…where would you like to go…?"_

He clenched his fists. He definitely had to get out of here.

"Zoro-sama! Do you remember what Nieve told you? About me being a dragon?" Nieve called from the tree above him. A vein appeared in his head. Again, with the third person switch. Could this girl be any weirder? He looked up and saw Nieve was sitting calmly on one of the tree's thicker branches that hung precariously over the edge of the cliff. Directly below the brown girl, hundreds of feet below, was the raging river that connected to the waterfall.

"Yeah, I remember. Although I'm still having a hard time believing it." Zoro grumbled, not really caring if she heard the last part.

"We can leave whenever you want, but before we do that, Nieve needs to charge up for the long and scary trip over the ocean." When she was met with a blank stare she stated in a voice like she was talking to a kindergartener, "NIEVE NEEDS TO EAT."

"I KNEW THAT!" Zoro snapped.

Nieve suddenly jumped down and for a split second Zoro tensed, certain she was going to fall into the ravine below. At the last second she grabbed the tree branch and swung herself back to solid ground. She landed literally inches in front of Zoro. She smiled prettily at him and he automatically took a step back. Zoro couldn't deny it. In spite of himself, he had to agree that Nieve wasn't simply average or ugly to look at. The way her side bangs **(A/N: As I explained in the last chapter, they do NOT hang over her forehead)** hugged her face and how long her brown hair was made her seem extremely pretty and the fiery red yukata (kimono) she was wearing showed off her thin arms and legs, since it was cut short on both the arms and bottom. What he liked was that she wasn't so ridiculously skinny that it was almost unnatural. He wasn't trying to be perverted or anything (That was Swirly-Brow's job) but maybe having her for a "slave" wouldn't be so bad after all.

"Alright, when was the last time you ate?" Zoro asked.

"Two days ago!" Nieve announced sheepishly and Zoro almost fell over.

"You see, I'm a terrible hunter and I don't really know how to cook so I eat whatever I can find."

Zoro shook his head in disbelief. He might as well have been traveling with a female Luffy, except Luffy was actually smart enough to get his own food. This girl was just hopeless.

Just as Zoro was about to go and attempt to find his only ticket off of this island some food, he heard a horrifically familiar chant.

_Negative. Negative. Negative. Negative._

Zoro's eyes widened to their fullest and before he even had the chance to move, one of the odd looking ghosts swept past him, just barely missing him, and disappeared into the darkness of the forest. Suddenly very tense, Zoro stood in front of Nieve and reached for his swords. He was shocked to find they weren't there.

"What the?"

"Hororororororo!"

Zoro's head snapped up and none other than the Ghost Princess herself stood triumphantly near the top of one of the surrounding trees. She was surrounded by her ghosts, now clenching all three of Zoro's swords. She could barely contain her arrogant smile and it pissed Zoro off to no end.

"Oi! Give those back!" He demanded. She simply just laughed that weird laugh of hers.

"Horororororo! I finally found you! Don't think I'm going to let you get away from me so easily when you still have a debt to pay!" She said loudly.

"Debt? What the hell are you talking about?" Zoro said.

"Well who do you think found you out in the middle of the beach? I don't care how strong you are, no one can sleep walk well enough to just march right into my castle on their own and redo their own bandages. _BAKA_!" She stuck her tongue out at him and about five veins appeared in the back of Zoro's head.

"Grrr, damn witch! You'll pay for taking my swords!"

"What are you going to do? Depress me to death? Bore me perhaps? I'm sorry but the last time _I_ checked, _you_ didn't stand a chance against my Negative Ghosts!"

Zoro gritted his teeth at the memory. He hated to admit it but she was right, he didn't stand a chance. Only Usopp was immune to her powers, for some odd reason. Nieve just simply stared up at the Ghost Princess in wonder and after a moment, Perona noticed the tan-skinned girl standing next to the swordsman.

"Ooh? I didn't know there was anyone else on the island. I see you got yourself a new girlfriend, Marmio, after that dramatic rescue where _you broke my window_." Perona growled. He knew he shouldn't have cared about what Perona said but for some reason, probably because he thought Nieve was kind of attractive, he blushed deeply and practically shouted,

"SHE'S NOT MY GIRLFRIEND!"

Perona just laughed at him. "Hororororo! Anywho, I may be willing to make an exchange with you in order to give you your swords back. Meet me back at the castle if you're interested otherwise don't you dare even think of bothering me for no reason."

Zoro's eyes instantly narrowed. "What kind of exchange?"

Perona didn't hesitate. "You become my slave and do whatever I tell you to do until someone comes and rescues me from this island. Then, _maybe_ I'll consider giving you your swords back."

Zoro's answer was predictable. "LIKE HELL I'D BE YOUR SLAVE!"

A negative ghost suddenly flew towards them and Zoro immediately tensed, certain it was headed for him, but it simply passed him and went for Nieve instead. He initially thought it was going to go _through_ her but it simply slipped past her like the other one had done to him earlier. Nieve, who had practically become frozen solid when the ghost had passed her, let out a large sigh of relief before suddenly sucking her breath. She felt all over her yukata for something that was obviously missing and she gasped in surprise at the ghost.

"Hey! Give me back my sword! Niji!" Nieve demanded as the ghost flew towards Perona and dropped the sword in her hands. Zoro was shocked and surprised that he hadn't noticed Nieve even had a sword. Usually he was intensely aware of things, especially when it came to someone having a weapon, but he hadn't even registered the fact that she might have been armed. He was really losing it.

Now Perona was holding four swords. The sword that belonged to Nieve, at first glance, looked positively awful. Although he couldn't see the blade, the hilt was covered in torn rags and was covered in what almost looked like a thin layer of dust. Dirt and mud caked the outside and Zoro almost didn't want to see what the blade looked like. He imagined an extremely rusted and old sword, kind of what his sword had looked like when it had been turned into dust when he was fighting that one Marine (he didn't hassle himself with remember that guy's name) at Enies Lobby. And Niji was supposed to mean _rainbow_.

"Niji!" Nieve cried, tears comically flowing down her cheeks. Zoro held her back.

"Don't try to go after it. Those ghosts have the power to take anyone down with just one touch." He warned while she hung pathetically on his muscular arm, still crying.

Perona smirked. "You'd know all about that, wouldn't you Marmio?"

Zoro simply glared up at her in annoyance. Perona suddenly started floating off of the tree branch and she and her Negative Ghosts floated up into the air, her smug expression never changing.

"If you are serious about getting your swords back, then you know where to find me. It's not like you really have a choice. You can't be the world's greatest swordsman if you don't even know how to take care of your own swords!"

He knew she was just taunting him and they watched as she disappeared over the tall line of intimidating trees. Nieve jumped away from him and looked at him with the utmost urgency.

"Zoro-sama we have to get Niji back! He'll never forgive me if I lost him! Please, Zoro-sama!"

He didn't need to hear Nieve's whining to make up his mind. He'd already made up his mind as soon as Perona had given him an ultimatum. No way in hell was he ever going to become her slave. Somehow, he was going to get his swords back. Maybe if he tricked her or something…

"Don't worry, I'll get our swords back, find you something to eat, and then we can leave this island without anything holding us back. First things first, let's head back to the castle." Zoro said confidently. He started walking in the opposite direction, towards the East, but he was surprised to see Nieve wasn't following him. He turned to see she was walking in the opposite direction, towards the West.

"Nieve you baka, what are you doing?" He demanded. She turned and looked at him innocently.

"I'm going to the castle! Where are you going?"

"The castle is this way!" Zoro said. Nieve stared uncomprehendingly (whoa big word) at him.

"Really? I thought it was this way." She said.

They stood in silence, staring at each other for a couple moments, when suddenly a flock of crows lifted off from a group of nearby trees and took off into the sky. They both watched the birds and as soon as the flock cleared the trees, one of the castle's taller towers appeared over the treeline.

"Ooh there's the castle!" Nieve pointed out obviously. A swear drop appeared on the side of Zoro's head. It turns out neither of them had a good sense of direction (not that Zoro would ever admit that out loud). The castle turned out to be towards the North.

How would Zoro ever find the crew if neither him nor his ticket out of here knew where the hell they were going?

_Why do I have the feeling I'm going to regret this? _Zoro thought and proceeded as calmly as possible to walk in the direction of the North with Nieve hot on his heels.

* * *

Yay I'm finally updating! I'll post the next chapter as soon as I get some reviews! Next time you get to find out what Nieve's devil fruit power is and no, it's not her being a dragon. And Nieve and Zoro finally get off the island, although it won't be easy!

Thanks for reading and reviewing!

Jacob-emmettluvr :D


	4. Great Escape?

**Disclaimer:** Sadly, I am not the owner of One Piece.

**Author's Note:** Not much to say other than I am totally inconsistent with these chapters, as you can obviously tell, but I'm doing my best now that Marching Band is finally over. I am completely up to date on the manga and the anime and I am aware (**Spoiler Alert**) that Zoro lost his eye. He looks so shmexy like that! However, this particular story is going to be different than what's be going on in the manga as of late but I will be consistent with some things—I just thought you should know.

Oh and also, a question for those of you following this weird fanfic. **I've decided to make this into a Nieve X Zoro fanfic, but if you would like me to make it into a Zoro X Robin fanfic, I can do that too because I like that pairing as well. It's up to you guys, but otherwise its going to stay with Nieve and Zoro!**

Thanks for reading—ideas are extremely welcome! PLEASE REVIEW!

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**This chapter was inspiried by the song Ridin' Solo by Jason Derulo 3

**And in reply to Blue-grey-purple-brown, thank you for the advice, but I think I'll keep doing things the way I have been doing them for a long time. ;D

Jacob-emmettluvr

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Chapter Four: Great Escape?

"Niji…" Nieve whimpered sadly as they trekked through the forest, Zoro forcibly having to literally _knock_ trees down with his bare hands now that his swords had been stolen by _that_ woman.

"I can't wait to get my hands on her…" He growled, muttering darkly to himself as he knocked down yet another humongous tree. As creepy as the forest was, neither of them seemed bothered by the spooky mist and the ugly naked trees. Nieve whistled calmly to herself until she overheard Zoro's menacing threats.

"That sounds dirty, Zoro-sama." She commented. He stopped and glared at her out of the corner of his eye before hastily walking forward, determined to reach the castle before dark. This was definitely the worst misadventure out of all the misadventures he'd been on, _including_ the ones with that stupid Ero-cook and his ridiculous captain.

"Lighten up Zoro-sama! That scary face you're giving Nieve is unnerving. You don't look very handsome when you look at me like that."

He knew she was getting under his skin on purpose. She was bored, not easily distracted by the incredibly uneventful forest, and her only source of amusement was the green-haired swordsman. She was just as bad as Nami sometimes when it came to annoying him. Half of him was seriously considering leaving her behind and just swimming all the way back to the famous archipelago, but his other half reminded him that he would be ditching her as soon as they reached the island anyway.

He wasn't sure just how much more of his he could handle. At every tree he had to tear down, his anger boiled to the next level. Why had that woman stolen his swords? Why did he have to get stuck on an island with someone like Nieve? Why couldn't he have been strong enough to defeat Bartholomew Kuma?

With his anger reaching the boiling point, he thought of something to quickly shut Nieve up before he ended up tearing down the entire forest in his frustration. He decided to go for a low blow.

"Instead of picking on me, why don't you practice holding onto your sword with a stick? Maybe then it wouldn't have been kidnapped in the first place!" He snapped. It worked like a charm. Nieve deflated, tears comically running down her cheeks as she remembered how her beloved sword had been so easily plucked from her grasp.

"I'm sorry Niji…!" She moaned.

After a couple more minutes, the castle was in full view. It seemed a lot bigger then he remembered, but then he had only seen it from one of the taller towers. The castle was magnificent and vast, yet mysterious and eerie. The curvy, somewhat familiar, mountains in the distance seemed to hang over the castle like the jaws of a fearsome monster about to make its kill. Through the mist, a crescent orange moon hung low in the sky, yet it was still clearly visible through the thick fog. Even though it was only just past sunset, the moon sat as if it had been the middle of the night—looking just as beautiful as it had when he had first arrived on the dreaded island. He could only imagine what it would be like to live here. Or maybe he didn't have to imagine it. He could just ask Perona, while he was slicing her up for stealing his swords.

"Oooh! That castle looks so pretty!" Nieve exclaimed.

The entrance to the castle was easy enough to spot and it was obviously unguarded—not a single soul resided on this island except for the Ghost Princess, the swordsman, and the stupid dragon. Still, as they drew closer and closer to the castle, Zoro kept his eyes peeled and his senses on high alert in case one of those Negative Ghosts appeared out of nowhere and took him out when he wasn't looking. As they continued to drift farther and farther away from the edge of the forest, Zoro quickly made up his mind about something and doubled back. Nieve watched him curiously as he went up to the nearest tree—one that he had already torn down—chose three of its thicker branches, and tore them off. He ripped off the tiny twigs on the meaty branches and tucked them into his sash, right where his three swords would have been.

As he strode past the pretty dragon in disguise, he didn't miss the look of amusement she was flashing him and he held his head higher than normal and pretended not to notice it.

"It's better than having nothing to fight with."

Nieve said nothing but the smile held on her lips and she silently (for once) followed the green-haired swordsman farther onto the castle grounds. The entrance to the castle was a towering, elegant arch, with a bridge hanging over a black river that seemed to wrap itself like a snake around the forefront of the castle. On the bridge, there were giant chains strapped to the sides, indicating that it was able to act as a draw-bridge as well. At this time, the bridge was down and the castle seemed to beckon him in, not showing any signs that its current owner was going to put up a fight. As Zoro and Nieve walked across the several feet thick bridge, Nieve peeked over and noticed that the waters, which were at least twenty feet below, were infested with tons of oddly shaped and multi-colored fish—each about the size of a large crocodile.

_Baby sea kings_, Zoro thought grimly, as he took his first step into the castle which he hadn't set foot in since his first arrival on the forsaken island. As they continued down the statue-infested corridors—Nieve staying very close to Zoro's side ("I swear they're watching me!")—Zoro stopped dead when he heard the familiar chanting of _Negative, Negative, Negative!_

All along the walls, appearing towards the ceiling, hundreds of Negative Ghosts appeared and their silly faces seemed to be mocking him as they whirled several inches above their heads. Wailing with laughter, they seemed to guide them further and further into the castle, but they never dared to attack.

"What the hell is wrong with these creepy little things?" Zoro growled as one passed a little too close for his liking. His hand touched his stick-swords, although he hesitated. He wasn't sure anything except for Usopp would work against these strange beings.

"N-Nieve thinks they want us to go in that room!" Nieve said, breathing slowly in and out. Neither of them had noticed she was hooked around his arm until she had pointed nervously towards a door at the far end of the corridor and it wasn't until Zoro had turned to look at her that he had realized she was standing very close. Zoro tried to gently pull his arm away but she only held on tighter and he had to suppress a sigh. He would never be able to fully understand the intentions of women. Hadn't she been trying to annoy the crap out of him just minutes earlier and now she decided to act like this?

Silently, Zoro agreed with the tan-skinned girl for all the ghosts seemed to flow through that one particular door, meshing into a sea of white and laughing faces, and what choice did Zoro have but to follow? Who knows, Perona might be in there as well and when he found that stupid princess or whatever, he was going to make her pay for taking his precious swords.

Since Nieve obviously wasn't going to be letting go any time soon, the poor swordsman was forced to literally drag her towards the door and as they got closer, Zoro definitely noticed how she began to drag her feet more and more as he got closer to opening the darn thing.

"Nieve. Let go." He managed to force out, keeping his tone level.

"No." She replied, sniffling.

Zoro tried again. "Let go."

"No." She replied more firmly, tightening her grip. Now he was positive she was cutting off the circulation in his arm.

"Nieve…_let go_." He tried one last time.

She sniffled loudly again and, after a moment of nothing but that, tears burst out of her eyes and she buried her head into his shoulder. "Nieve's scared, Zoro-sama!"

Zoro lost all of his patience. "Get the _hell_ off me, woman!"

As they continued to argue loudly, a Negative Ghost broke away from the stream of other ghosts and only its head was visible in the wall behind the pair of obnoxious island-dwellers. It laughed quietly and snuck up on them, wearing an unusually mean expression (with the usual tongue sticking out of its mouth) and waited for the perfect chance to attack. Just as Zoro managed to release Nieve's outrageously strong grip on his arm, the Ghost found its opening and shot straight through Nieve's mid-section. In what seemed to be slow-motion, Nieve gasped as a weird sensation began to spread through her body, and the force from the impact of the Negative Ghost violently threw her forward. She somersaulted towards the door which Zoro had been trying to open and she crashed through it, continuing on her rolling-rampage until she smacked into a wall on the opposite side of the room they had just discovered, staring dizzily back Zoro from an awkward, upside-down position on the floor. After a moment of staring, disoriented, at Zoro's handsome face, she managed to crawl up onto her knees and suddenly a wave of depression overtook her like a tsunami.

"I apologize for ever touching Zoro-sama's beautiful skin. I beg for his muscular arm to be cleansed of my tainted touch, and I wish for my soul to cease to exist." She mumbled.

Zoro ran over to her and as he got closer, he stopped, noticing the eerily depressed look that had come upon her beautiful face (seeming oddly familiar at the same time).

"Are…are you okay?" He asked stupidly. She stared blankly at him.

"May my soul be so insignificant and small that it may cease to exist in this world full of things that are more beautiful than I." She said to no one in particular. Zoro smacked himself on his forehead. How could he be so stupid and easily distracted to let this happen?

"Hororororororo! What an amusing reaction to my precious Negative Ghosts!" A high-pitched and girly voice said from behind Zoro. He flipped around, his hand instantly clamped around his hefty tree branches, and he turned to glare at the woman sitting comfortably in a cushiony and humongous chair, wearing her usual pink, black, and white dolly outfits and little gold crown. Her usual, mocking smile complimented her big round, dark eyes and she barely managed to suppress her laughter as she witnessed the swordsman's disbelieving laughter.

"You! What did you do with our swords!" He ordered right away.

She said nothing but continued to smirk at him, which was unusual since Zoro thought she never stopped talking. Then:

"Extra hollow!"

A huge hollow appeared out of nowhere, its gigantic, silly looking head smiled mockingly at Zoro and he reacted instantly, grabbing his wooden "swords" and jumping right into a defensive stance. Perona laughed loudly, almost jollily, and suddenly the giant hollow snapped its teeth around Zoro's mid-section. He was given no time to deliver a proper attack, so instead the powerful swordsman was forced to swinging his branches around in frustration, trying to in some shape or form harm the stupid ghost.

"OI W-WHAT IS THIS? LET GO OF ME AND GIVE ME MY DAMN SWORDS BACK!" Zoro swiped ferociously at the grinning hollow (who had a green-haired swordsman stuck between its teeth), but everything kept going right through the inside of the hollow—yet somehow it was still able to hold him in place.

"Hororororo! That's what you get for trying to deceive me, stupid swordsman! Did you think I'd let you leave this island without you paying me back in some sort of way? Did you think I bandaged you up just out of the kind soul of my heart? Horororo! Your stupidity is laughable! I needed a good servant that wasn't broken, so I had to fix you up. Return to your rightful owner and be my slave!" Perona yelled, not ever moving from her spot in her comfy chair. Meanwhile, Zoro seethed and he slashed even more furiously around the hollow's cavernous insides.

"LIKE _HELL_ I'M EVER GONNA BE _YOUR_ SERVANT! NIEVE SNAP OUT OF IT AND GET ME OUT OF HERE!" he roared, veins pulsating in his forehead.

Still sitting in the spot Zoro had left her in, Nieve blinked rapidly and slowly came back to her senses. Although she had a strange feeling of sadness, her slow brain easily banished the thought from her head and she instead focused on the lower half of the green-haired swordsman, which was sticking out of a giant hollow head. She unconsciously stared at his bottom for a little bit longer, slowly comprehending that the situation was dire and that Zoro, indeed, had a nice butt, until something finally clicked in her brain and she abruptly jumped to her feet.

"No, Zoro-sama! Leave him alone you freaky witch-person!" She shouted.

Perona snorted with raucous laughter; "Horororo! It seems your girlfriend has finally decided to join the party!"

From inside the hollow, Zoro snapped, "SHE IS _NOT_ MY GIRLFRIEND!"

With an unusually determined expression on her face, Nieve reached down towards her waist and made to grab her sword. As soon as she caught nothing but air, all the most recent events came flooding back into her brain and tears comically began streaming down her cheeks again as she recalled why they were here in the castle in the first place.

"Oh no…Niji I'm sorry!" she cried.

"BAKA!" Zoro snapped furiously, now certain that it was impossible for him to get out of this sticky situation.

"Horororo! You're too late, ugly woman! The marmio will be blown to bits with my ghostly powers. Don't worry though. You're welcome to become my servant alongside your precious swordsman," Perona snarled in an uncharacteristically deep voice and raised her hand as if to snap her fingers.

Nieve glanced around desperately, trying to find anything that would be able to help her save Zoro. Then, she saw them. Leaning up against the extra long dining table, right beside Perona's enormous chair, were four swords that seemed to glow as if they were a gift from God himself. Nieve immediately rushed towards them and made a split decision to play a trick on Perona. She didn't know who the owner of the name was, but she had overheard Zoro muttering his name several times when he was cursing Perona during their trek through the forest.

"LOOK ITS USOPP!" Nieve shouted. All traces of glee were erased from Perona's face and nothing but fear replaced it as she screamed and flipped around, searching desperately for this dreaded "Usopp." Nieve saw her chance and grabbed the ugliest sword of the bunch and immediately unsheathed it. From the depths of the dirtiest rags appeared the most beautiful sword, tinted a gorgeous sky blue color. If one looked close enough, one could see a dazzling rainbow glint in the reflection of the shine the sword let off. Any sword admirer would collapse to their knees at the sight of the sword, but it just so happens that the only one of the kind in the room was stuck inside the belly of a monstrous ghost, about to be blown to pieces.

"Niji, it's good to have you back," Nieve said in a serious tone, a smile playing across her pretty lips. Perona instantly flipped around at the sound of the girl's voice and it was only then that she realized she had been tricked.

"Persistent brat! You're not cute in the _slightest_! You're still too late! No one can escape my Extra Hollow!" She snapped her fingers.

"DIVINE WIND!"

For a split second, a look of utter fear came over Nieve's face and in one fluid motion she slashed the air with Niji and made a symbol that looked similar to a capital "Z", except it was backwards and slightly tilted, resembling more of a capital "S".

"ZORO-SAMA! KURO KURO NO COMET!"

Out of nowhere, or at the very least, from the direction of Nieve's sword, a large glowing blue light appeared. It hovered in the air for a few milliseconds before deciding on its directed path and shooting towards the giant hollow which Zoro had been entrapped between its teeth. Any other attack would have simply passed through the hollow, but this one had managed to accommodate so much energy from the surrounding area that the instant it came into contact with the Hollow, it forcibly caused the ghost to literally erupt. The room went dark as a huge blue explosion rocked the inside of the castle, throwing the swordsman back several feet along with everyone else in the room. While Nieve and Zoro slammed against a nearby wall, Perona was thrust into the row of chairs sitting idly beside the long dining table. The room steadily got lighter as nothing but a shower of blue embers, looking very much like mini comets, slowly sprinkled down to the ground where their light immediately went out and they disappeared, remained of the giant ghost.

Zoro groggily got up, rubbing his now very sore head, and could do nothing but stare in shock at the place where he had just been. He turned his gaze on the pretty dragon, who was laying very still a few feet away, and all his senses came flooding back to him. Many questions ran through his mind as he hastily got up and ran to the girl's side but he decided that now was not the time to dwell upon them. In due time, his questions would be answered. Right now, his friend needed him. He stopped short as he went to turn her over.

She was his _friend_? When the hell did _that_ happen? He shook his head and gently shook the tan-skinned girl.

"Nieve, wake up. Oi, are you okay? Oi!" he said.

There was no response and Zoro noticed a trickle of blood was sliding down her forehead. He hastily checked her pulse and was relieved to see that she was still alive. He made to rip off a part of his shirt to use to dress her wound but it was only then that he noticed his shirt had actually been blown to oblivion. He had come _that_ close to sharing the same fate as the Extra Hollow. What sort of unbelievable power did this girl actually have? The only piece of his shirt remaining was part of his short-sleeve and a piece of long fabric that hung off the end of it (he wasn't exactly sure what part of the shirt that used to be). He slid it off and put it up against the Nieve's head, holding her close and checking on her breathing, not caring that her blood was staining his shirt red.

"What the hell was that?" Perona said shakily as she emerged from the sea of broken and toppled chairs. She had lost most of her anger and her mocking grin was reduced to a grim line as she stared cautiously at the unconscious girl in Zoro's arms.

"What the hell is she? Is she some kind of monster?"

Zoro said nothing but he silently admitted that he had been wondering the same thing. He already knew she was a dragon, but he briefly wondered if she could also be a devil-fruit user **(A/N: Zoro didn't hear Nieve when she screamed KURO KURO NO COMET)**. He watched as Perona rose to her feet and took several paces closer to them. His eyes flickered between his swords (which were now lying on the ground) and the ghost princess. If he acted quickly, he might have a chance to get his weapons back before the Princess tried anything.

Perona wasn't stupid—she could easily see the plan that was beginning to form inside the swordsman's mind as he glanced at her and his swords, which were lying directly between them. Finally, his gaze locked with hers and the room fell into an eerie silence as they were thrust into a deadly stand-off. Whoever backed down was sure to be the one to lose. Perona slowly lifted her hand while Zoro gently laid Nieve back on the ground, never tearing their eyes away from one another.

Zoro was about to stand up and make a run for it when the sound of a door opening broke the silence. The loud creaking of the door made them both jump and they looked down one of the many other corridors to see a figure walking into the now completely destroyed dining hall.

The only sound in the entire castle, possibly the entire island, was the sound of the stranger's boots thumping against the floor as it slowly came closer and closer to the pair of fighting opponents. The figure stopped several feet away from Perona, just on the other side of the table and close to where Zoro had just been trapped by the Extra Hollow.

Zoro recognized him immediately. Adrenaline pulsed through his veins and he felt vulnerable and weak in front of this new opponent. He desperately needed to get his swords back. For a moment, Zoro felt self-conscious. This was supposed to be the man he was going to surpass and become the world's greatest swordsman and yet here he was, squatting (shirtless, no less) over an unconscious tan-skinned girl, with nothing but three long branches strapped to his sash and he was sure he looked not even close to presentable. Of course, this only bothered Zoro a little. He had never really cared for looks and he certainly wasn't going to let it get to him now.

"I…I know you!" Perona sputtered stupidly, her eyes wide and her pupils tiny and shocked. She trembled as her eyes glided down the hilt of the giant sword strapped to the man's back to the tip of the razor-sharp blade. Jewels and what she was sure was pure gold decorated the handle and she shivered as she caught sight of the pair of terrifying gold-eyes that stared back at her from underneath his black, wide-brimmed hat.

Zoro slowly stood up and stepped over Nieve, standing just in front of her. In spite of himself and the situation he was caught up in, something of an evil smirk reached Zoro's lips and he grinned devilishly at his number one enemy.

"Mihawk…" He rumbled, his voice rough and his hands suddenly itching for a battle. Even from across the room, he could feel the sudden bloodlust his cursed swords sought and for a split second he lost control of himself and he could not disguise the look of complete joy that overtook him. Then, he remembered how easily Mihawk had defeated him with when he last had that sort of attitude when going into a fight and, with a glance at the pretty face of the unconscious Nieve, Zoro managed to regain control over himself and he wiped the smirk off of his own face. He was determined never to let what had happened in the past, happen again.

Missing nothing with his "hawk-eyes," Mihawk's golden orbs narrowed and he stared dangerously at the green-haired swordsman, whose name he would never forget.

"_Roronora Zoro_…what exactly are you doing in my castle?"

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Yay I finished the chapter! Sorry, I lied in the next one. Zoro and Nieve don't leave until the _next_ chapter! I decided to twist the plot along with recent events in the manga so if you're not up to date on that, then there may be some minor spoilers but for the most part, you probably just won't have any idea what I'm talking about at some points but that's okay.

Thanks for reading and PLEASE review! I love them!

Jacob-emmettluvr XD


	5. The Dragon, Princess, and Zoro

Disclaimer: Pssh, as if _I_ would ever own _One Piece_! Not that I wouldn't totally love it if I did!

Author's Note: I went a little bit more into detail about Nieve's outfit because I feel that I didn't really explain it fully in earlier chapters and it seemed as if you had to guess what she was wearing so I just went ahead and cleared that up for you. Since I am horrible at drawing clothes and such and I can't find a picture anywhere similar to what it looks like, I'm afraid you'll just have to imagine it yourselves. And in case you were wondering, she walks around barefoot because I can't see her wearing anything with that outfit.

Also, I'm sorry if it seems a bit crappy towards the end. It was way the heck past my bedtime and I was really tired but I wanted to get this done with so sorry about that.

PLEASE REVIEW! I'm sorry it takes me so long to find inspiration to write this. Enjoy!

-jacob-emmettluvr :)

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**Inspired by Na Na Na by My Chemical Romance

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Chapter Five: The Dragon, the Ghost Princess, and the Zoro

Nieve grumbled incoherently. The sound of her stomach growling disturbed her in her sleep. Grunting, she rolled over and readjusted her tight grip on her downy pillow, nearly squeezing the feathers right out of it. She began to drool profusely as she imagined she could smell the juicy steak Zoro had put out for her in her imagination.

"_No…stay away from Nieve with that huge thing! Nieve still has to finish the first one!" She whined in her dream. The steak looked delicious and even in her dream, Nieve was drooling profusely as she hungrily stared at the hunk of meat. Right beside it was the biggest turkey she had ever seen. It steamed slightly and the leg she had just taken a bite out of sizzled for its skin still was burning hot. Her eyes glided further down the food-filled table and sitting directly across from her was Zoro—except, it _wasn't_ Zoro. This Zoro was incredibly sexy looking, with an undone green bow-tie hanging around his neck and a foxy smile playing on his lips. He was wearing his usual black pants and green sash, but instead of his boring white shirt, he was wearing an unbuttoned dress-shirt that was white as snow, giving Nieve a perfect view of his nicely toned abs. She had thought Zoro was attractive, but not like _that_._

"_Mmm, you look yummy Zoro-sama!" She cooed. He didn't look surprised to be called "yummy" and he surprised Nieve by giving her a very sneaky grin and winking seductively at her. He motioned towards the untouched steak._

"_Eat, my lovely snow-bird. You must be hungry after walking through that dark forest," he said, voice uncharacteristically deep and husky. Pleasant chills went up Nieve's spine. Since when did he know that Nieve meant snow in Spanish? This was all way too good for her. Definitely one of her best dreams yet, but still a dream nonetheless. Nice food and a Spanish-speaking man? This was too much for even her, yet part of her didn't want it to end._

"_Zoro-sama, you're making Nieve so hungry! How can Nieve eat that delicious steak if Nieve still has to finish her tasty turkey you made for her? Oh…well, if you insist…oh it tastes so good! Give me more, Zoro-sama! MORE!" _

She hadn't realized she had been talking out loud while still asleep. The real Zoro, who was sitting on a stool next to her bed, felt a vein pulsing near the front of his head and he had to use all of his self-control not to flip the mattress over and send the sleeping girl flying. Zoro could not take it anymore. How anyone could possibly yell in their sleep and not wake up was incredible to him. He didn't know what kind of dream she was having, but he didn't want to find out. _It sounds sexual_, he thought. He clenched his teeth, his face hot with embarrassment.

"Give me more, Zoro-sama! MORE!" she moaned once again, a faint blush on her cheeks as she rolled over the covers.

"Nieve, wake up!" He snapped, his patience all but gone. The tan-skinned girl suddenly sat up, a tired yet alarmed look dawning on her pretty features.

"Wha...?" she said sleepily.

Trying to control his temper, Zoro managed out, "You were dreaming loud enough for the whole castle to hear you!"

Nieve glided her sleepy yellow gaze to Zoro and really looked at him for the first time. With her thoughts still filled with the Sexy-Dream-Zoro, she was unpleasantly shocked to see that he did not look, in any way, attractive (the only exception would be if he was shirtless, which he was). In fact, Zoro looked as if he had literally just walked out of a brawl between at least a dozen pirates. Bruises glared purple on several parts of his tan skin and a few bloody cuts told Nieve that he had actually been in an intense sword-fight with someone. His bottom-lip was bleeding and she noticed he refrained from ever opening his right eye, which had a thin vertical cut on it.

"Zoro-sama…what are you—WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR EYE!"

In spite of his injuries, Nieve could clearly feel the waves of triumph that floated off of him and, although he wasn't doing it now because he was upset with her, she was sure he would be smirking.

"Zoro-sama…you're hurt!" She said in surprise, her golden eyes suddenly wide with worry. He forgot he was annoyed with her and smiled cheekily at her.

"You should be thankful instead of surprised. I got us permission to leave the island, _without_ having to fight our way off. Mihawk and I had a little…disagreement about it. Mostly because he was mad that we destroyed his castle. But he took his anger out on me and now we're free to go. We can leave the island at any time and hopefully we won't have to deal with that annoying witch-princess anymore."

Nieve did not share his enthusiasm.

"But, Nieve hasn't had anything to eat in _days_ and you haven't even ridden me yet. Nieve has never had a passenger before either," she told him uncertainly.

"Well, I'm sure it can't be that hard. All I have to do is hang on, right? Get dressed and we'll go down and make some food for you. After that, we'll head out. Depending on how fast you can fly, we should be at the archipelago within a few days," he said, standing up and heading for the door.

"A few _days_? Nieve will have to eat so much that she'll probably get fat!" The dragon-girl whined but Zoro just slammed the door, deaf to her complaints. Rolling her eyes in annoyance, Nieve stood up and walked to the room's only dresser. There were no clothes inside, just a lot of dust, and since she was only wearing her underwear and a tank top, it looked as if she was going to have to wear her red yukata. She went over to where it was lying and picked it up, sniffing it hesitantly. It smelled alright and so she slipped it on.

It wasn't like a traditional yukata, or a kimono for that matter, for it carried a look that was custom made. It reached just above her ankles and a slit followed her lithe legs up to her thigh, revealing nothing but showing off much of her golden-brown legs. The sleeves were more traditional, but they had been styled so that they were still long and fanned out but they only reached her elbows. The sash that she tied tightly just underneath her breasts was thinner than most on usual festive clothes and the bow tied in the back wasn't huge and, in fact, it hung loosely with the ribbon-like fabric quite uneven.

She went over to the mirror and tied her hair up in her usual pony-tail, her hair reaching her mid-back, not minding that her bangs hung on either side of her face. She eventually stepped outside her room and found that Zoro was nowhere to be found. After a little exploring, she managed to find a bathroom that was supposedly used for guests and she used whatever products she could find, not sure if the unused toothbrush would be missed or if it was even sanitary to use it, since she didn't know who it belonged too.

After freshening up, she found Zoro impatiently waiting for her by a magnificent spiral staircase. He tossed a long object at her and she caught it by surprise, almost dropping it.

"Watch it!" She snapped.

"There's your sword back. You called it Niji, right? Don't lose it again," he grunted. She looked down at the dirty rags in her hands and she realized that it was indeed her beloved sword Niji. She looked up at Zoro, delight dancing in her eyes.

"Thank you!"

He didn't look any different than he had when she had first woken up. He was dressed in his usual black boots, dark green trousers, and he wore his favorite green sash and earrings. The cut on his eye inwardly disturbed her for some reason and so she looked somewhere else on his body instead. His upper half remained naked. She realized she had never seen his chest before and she stared slightly at the scar that curved across the surface of his skin.

"Zoro-sama that scar…" she trailed off, giving him a concerned look.

"Mihawk gave it to me awhile ago when I challenged him without knowing what I was doing," Zoro grunted, uncomfortable with this newfound emotion she had developed. When she looked confused, he explained,

"My dream is to become the world's greatest swordsman. To make a long story short, I was useless when my crew needed me most and because of that, we were scattered around the world and separated from our ship and from each other. I'm sorry if I seem pushy and bossy but it's only because I'm anxious about getting back to the island. I want to make sure everyone is okay and I can't do that if I keep getting sidetracked by all these distractions."

There was silence between them for a moment. Zoro's one-eyed gaze was dead serious and he locked eyes—_eye_—with Nieve's yellow orbs. He didn't look the least bit embarrassed or ashamed about what he had just said or that he just spilled a bit of his heart onto her. Nieve opened her mouth to say something in reply but Zoro had suddenly turned around and began walking down the stairs, leaving her behind.

"Hey, wait for Nieve!" She said and jogged after him.

Zoro walked down into the dining hall, ignoring Nieve's penetrating stares. He wished she would stop burning her gaze into his back and just leave him the hell alone. He knew her scars made her nervous and it was obvious that she couldn't stop staring at his eye. It was just a stupid eye—it wasn't like he got both of his arms chopped off or anything. Did she think he was handicapped because he couldn't see out of one eye? He snorted at the thought. He could still fight and protect her and slicing through steel wasn't any more difficult than it had been before he got in a fight with Mihawk. Why couldn't she just mind her own business and focus on how they were going to get off this island? As soon as she was done eating, Zoro would have to swallow his pride and put his life in her hands. Just the thought of it was nerve-racking. How was he ever going to become the world's greatest swordsman if he died out here first?_ Death by idiot. That stupid swirly-brow would get a kick out of that._

This made him stop walking. Would he _ever_ get back to the Archipelago? Nieve was already proving to be more than a handful. Once again ignoring Nieve's startled and confused gaze, he continued walking and lead her back to where she had last lost consciousness. He didn't like how her look made it seem as if she was worried about him. _She_ was worried about _him?_—Ridiculous! Just thinking about her irritated him sometimes.

"Well if it isn't the great Roronora Zoro and his delightful sidekick and lover?" Perona's high and mighty voice sneered from one of the (recently fixed) table's chairs. Her lips were curved in an amused smirk, per usual, and she twirled her bright pink hair around her index finger casually. She was wearing an outfit Zoro didn't recognize. She was wearing her usual black buckle up boots and pink and black leggings with a matching frilly skirt and a black corset top. Her ringlet hair was down and it easily reached her mid-back. For once, she seemed to be without her favorite oddly-shaped umbrella. Zoro barely glanced at her before heading over to the buffet table, which Mihawk had left out for the guests to devour the leftovers.

"I told you, we're not lovers," Zoro muttered as he picked cold bacon out of one of the trays and put it on a plate. Nieve hesitated before joining Zoro and grabbing a plate of her own, giving Perona a dirty look.

"What are you staring at? Jealous of my stylish outfit or my fabulous good looks?" Perona mocked, flicking her long hair over her shoulder. Zoro carried his now full plate over to the table sat down on the opposite side, ignoring the quarreling girls, and began to eat. The bacon was cold and stiff—a far cry from the meals Zoro was used to getting from that stupid ero-cook. But he hadn't eaten in days and who could blame him for choosing leftover bacon over starvation?

"What is your relationship with Zoro-sama?" Nieve demanded, her yellow eyes narrowing into slits. Perona scowled and dipped her nose into the air with a dignified "hmph!"

"I have no relationship whatsoever with someone with the likes of him! I consider him to be no more significant to me than a piece of trash lying in my path to freedom. The sooner I don't have to look at his ugly mug the better!"

Zoro abruptly stopped eating and scowled in the ghost princess' direction, glaring at her disdainful expression_. I can hear you, you know_, he wanted to say, but his mouth was full of bacon. Nieve only relaxed a little bit but then she stiffened up again and gave Zoro an accusing glare.

"Nieve will have you know what she will not tolerate giving free "rides" to random strangers and women whom you seem to have a crush on! If she wants to get off this island, she can find a different slave other than you because Nieve will not be giving anyone but you a ride off of this island," she said and walked over to the far end of the dining room, sat down on the ground, and began tearing apart her bacon. Perona glared in her direction as did Zoro, the irritation he had felt earlier returning full force.

"I am _not_ her slave!" He said angrily.

Perona turned her cool gaze on him. "Oh yes you are! You may be a pirate like me but the Straw Hats are known to be pitifully nice pirates. Do you try to cheat your way out of repaying everyone who saves you?"

Zoro said nothing. She had got him there. He always kept his promises and, in some way, shape, or form, he was going to have to repay the ghost princess for saving his life—_without_ becoming his slave. Her black eyes scanned his body and she made a disapproving face as she stared at his chest.

"Are you going to wear that all day?" She said, unable to help herself as she critically watched him frown and look down at himself.

"Yeah, why?"

She said nothing and turned away, apparently disgusted by his lack of fashion sense. This unnerved the green-haired swordsman to no end and he was sure that if he was in this room with these two women for much longer, he was going to explode.

"You, ghost witch!" Nieve exclaimed, suddenly appearing next to the table, between where Zoro and the alleged 'ghost witch' were sitting.

"Its _princess_!" Perona snapped. "And weren't you speaking in third-person just a second ago?"

Nieve pointed one dainty finger at Perona.

"I will allow you to ride on my back and I will take you off this island if you agree to free Zoro as your slave and not to attack us," she announced mightily.

"NO WAY!" Perona shouted, her eyes bug-eyed at such a ridiculous request.

"Why on earth would I want to ride piggy-back on you?"

"I am actually a dragon, sent by pirates to protect the gold on this island. However, I do not wish to guard their gold any longer and Zoro-sama and I have a plan to leave this island with him riding on my back. There is still room for one more, but only if you agree to let Zoro go."

"What a load of crap! You expect me to believe that you are a dragon in disguise? HOW STUPID DO YOU THINK I AM?"

Silently, Zoro realized that he had actually never seen Nieve in her dragon form. What if she was lying or what if she was really just stupid and made herself think that she actually was a mythical creature? Just like that, Zoro began to doubt the fool-proofness in his plan.

"Nieve will show you then," she said.

"There you go again with the third-person!" Perona exclaimed.

Nieve dropped her arm to her side and let it hang limply there. She closed her eyes and stood as still as a statue. After a couple moments of nothing happening, Zoro began to feel self-conscious that he had made the wrong decision and that he had never felt more stupid. Perona would never let him hear the end of it if Nieve turned out to be a fraud.

Perona and Zoro stared at Nieve for a bit longer before Nieve was suddenly swallowed up by an explosion of feathers. The snow white cloud of downy feathers swallowed her up, so much so that Zoro could not spot a single fiber of red, and the cloud grew slightly bigger and longer. Once the cloud of exploding feathers was as long as the huge table, the wind that had been slapping Zoro and Perona in the face ultimately disappeared and the feathers dispersed as well, leaving in their wake the most beautiful creature Zoro had ever seen.

The dragon that was Nieve had no wings and her long, snake-like body was covered in soft feathers that were as pure and white as freshly fallen snow. Her underbelly, which was made up of a harder plate of scales, was just as white and her narrow, almost dog-like face was aglow with two owl-like eyes that blinked yellow. She opened her mouth, revealing a row of razor sharp teeth that were kept hidden underneath her slender snout. She dug her claws into the ground, clawing up the castle's stone floor, and the long whiskers that sprouted out of her muzzle floated around her as if they had wings themselves, giving her an elegant and majestic look**(A/N: Picture is available on my profile)**.

"EEEEHHH?" Perona shrieked and fell off of the table, backing up until she was pressed against the opposite wall. Zoro abruptly stood up out of his chair, knocking it over, looking just as shocked as surprised. His hands clamped around his swords but he hesitated in unsheathing them. The dragon made no move to attack and instead it looked curiously at the two of them, as if it found their reactions amusing.

Silence.

The dragon simply stared at the two of them while they stared back. Then—

_HI ZORO-SAMA!_

A voice that sounded just like Nieve's erupted inside Zoro's head and he flinched, falling over in surprise. Perona watched him with confusion and fear.

_What do you think of my new body?_

The voice sounded off again, quieter this time but still really loud, causing Zoro to grab his head.

"Aargh!" He hissed. "What the hell is this?"

_Haha isn't it fun, Zoro-sama? I can communicate telepathically with you now!_

"Nieve, cut that out! It's weird hearing you in my head!" The dragon seemed to frown and it flicked its tail, snorting. When it snorted, steam hissed out of its nostrils.

_It's not like I can read your mind or anything. This is just so that you know what I'm thinking since I can't talk normally now._

The dragon crouched closer to the ground, dropping so low that it was almost lying on the floor.

_Get on my back, Zoro-sama! Bring the ghost princess too. I'm going to take you to the cave where the pirate's gold is located. _

Now getting a serious headache, Zoro got up off the ground and went over to where Perona was cowering.

"What do you want? W-what are you doing?" She demanded and let out a shriek when Zoro grabbed her around the waist and carried her to where the dragon was watching.

"Put me down at once! Negati—"

"Relax. Nieve is taking us to the cave where the pirates left their treasure."

He dropped Perona beside the table and walked up to the gorgeous white dragon. He took a deep breath and, using her elbow as a stepping-stair, climbed up onto her back. He looked around for something to hold on to that wouldn't hurt her but he found nothing.

_You can use my whiskers. Don't worry, it won't hurt me—not unless you pulled on them as hard as you could or chopped them off._

He jumped at the sound of her voice and swore under his breath. He did as he was told and grabbed the two large whiskers that were twirling in the air around him and found that they were covered in tiny white hairs that tingled at his touch. They both looked at Perona who looked uncertainly back.

"Is it safe?" She asked. Zoro nodded and put his hand out for her to grab. After a moment of deliberation and staring at his hand, Perona made up her mind and slapped it aside. She climbed up onto Nieve's back as well and positioned herself just behind Zoro, looking uncomfortably at the dragon underneath her.

"No funny business. I haven't agreed to go along with your plan. As far as I'm concerned, you are my slave," she said sternly to Zoro. He grunted and said to Nieve's large head,

"We're ready."

The dragon nodded in response and crouched even lower to the ground. Zoro could feel her muscles tense and he knew she was preparing for a jump. Wait—there were four levels of solid stone above their heads. She wasn't stupid enough to be thinking of breaking through them, was she? Even if she managed to get out, he and Perona were sure to be knocked off or, at the very least, knocked out and fall off.

"Nieve wait—!"

_Hold on!_

He wasn't prepared for it at all when she suddenly dived forward. He had been expecting her to jump upwards but apparently this was not the case. He nearly lost his grip and flew off of her and he barely had time to readjust his grip on her whiskers before she literally rocketed out of the dining room. Perona let out an earsplitting scream and wrapped her arms around Zoro's waist, squeezing his wounds and hanging on for dear life. He clung to Nieve's whiskers like his life depended on it, which it kind of did, and did his best to fight against the wind as they flew through the many corridors of the castle. They were headed for the drawbridge at top speed, but Zoro had no way of telling her that it had been closed during the night. They neared the solid wood at top speed and Zoro wondered if she could even see that it was closed. If they crashed through that, he wasn't sure if he could hang on.

"PULL UP!" He shouted. Nieve glanced up at him and, at the very last second, turned upwards and ascended into a completely 180 degree climb. Zoro kept his legs clamped around her back, determined not to slip off and go flying, while Perona's grip on him considerably tightened and he winced at the pain. _I hope she doesn't open up my wounds!_

Instead of Nieve colliding with the ceiling, Zoro was surprised to see that she had found another spiral staircase and she easily flew right up through it without touching any of the railings at all. The top of the stairs was nearing fast and he was sure she was going to hit _that_ if she didn't slow down.

"TURN LEFT!" He commanded. His voice was an octave higher than normal because he was convinced they were going to die. Nieve did as she was told and flew into another corridor. Farther ahead, Zoro saw a door open and as they went swooshing by, he locked eyes with none other than Mihawk, who looked uncharacteristically surprised. For a split second, everything seemed to be in slow motion as Mihawk opened his door and saw a white dragon, the green-haired swordsman Zoro, and a sobbing Perona flying past him at a break-neck speed. The moment was over in an instant and they continued on their fast-paced rampage.

Zoro didn't know how in the world he did it, but as they climbed up another spiral staircase, this time Nieve actually had to fly up the stairs because they were in one of the castle's narrow towers, he realized this lead to the same room he had first dived out of when he saved Nieve's life.

Nieve burst into the dark and utterly silent room at the top of the tower in a storm of white feathers and she did exactly what Zoro had wanted her to do. She exploded out of the newly repaired stained glass window, destroying the beautiful picture it had been. The beautiful glass shattered around them and they were thrust into the cool night air. Wait—night? Zoro looked around in surprise as they seemed to fly right in front of the huge moon, its orange glow washing over them like a tsunami. As they climbed higher into the sky, Zoro could now see almost the entire island and what he saw surprised him. Parts of the island were as dark as night, the moon's eerie glow washing over the dark patches of forest and the castle, while others were bright and sunny as they would be in the day time. This thoroughly confused him and he wanted to ask Perona why this was, but by way she was constricting the life out of him, he got the feeling she wouldn't want to talk.

After about five minutes of being in the air, Zoro relaxed and actually began to enjoy flying. It was peaceful and quiet up here and the cool breeze felt good against his hot skin. Perona relaxed as well and abruptly took her arms off of Zoro. He rolled his eyes at her stubbornness.

"How much farther is the cave?" He called to Nieve over the howl of the wind.

_It's right underneath us. Hang on._

Zoro did as he told and he held on as the dragon slowly began to descend from the air. Perona squeaked and coiled her arms around Zoro's waist again. He felt an odd, lightweight feeling in the pit of his stomach and he didn't like it. They disappeared into the forest of trees and within moments the forest floor was visible. They touched down gently and Zoro and Perona hopped off of the dragon's back. It felt weird to be back on solid ground, without the constant swaying or adrenaline of flying. They looked at the dragon and watched as the dragon itself began to dissolve. In a fury of feathers the dragon disappeared within a cloud of down and once the cloud of feathers disappeared, all that remained was a tan-skinned girl in a red yukata. Nieve smiled pleasantly at them.

"The cave is this way," she said and skipped off in that direction. Zoro wanted to slap himself on the forehead and he followed the dragon-in-disguise up the rocky hill; Perona following his lead. Zoro didn't have to worry about them getting lost (considering it was _Nieve_ that was leading them) because the cave itself was only a couple yards away. They followed Nieve inside and they were met with pitch black darkness. For a moment, he lost sight of Nieve and he was momentarily concerned until a light went on and the cave was suddenly lit up. His jaw dropped at what he had almost walked right into.

A large treasure chest of gold was stationed right in the middle of the cave. The chest was opening, revealing a belly full of golden coins and on either side of the wooden chest were twin mountains of gold coins. Decorating the magnificent piles were priceless jewels and other miscellaneous loot. He didn't need to look over at Perona to know that she had on a surprised face just like he did.

"This is why they kept you here?" Zoro asked. Nieve nodded.

Zoro frowned. "I thought you couldn't remember where it was."

Nieve smiled innocently. "I told you I don't lie _all_ the time."

He rolled his eyes and grabbed a handful of treasure he found an unused sac that looked as if it might have been someone's wallet and dumped the coins into it until it was as full as possible. He tied the rest of the sac into a knot and stuffed it into his trouser's pocket. Perona and Nieve grabbed handfuls themselves and found similar objects to put them in. Once they collected enough money, the trio walked out of the cave and gathered in the dark clearing of the rocky hill.

"This will be enough to last us for the next two islands," Zoro said, genuinely pleased with all the booty they had managed to gather. Now all they had to do was get off this weird island. Nieve and Zoro both looked expectantly at Perona.

"What?" She snapped.

"Well? Are you coming with us?" Nieve replied excitedly.

Perona's round eyes narrowed as she stared thoughtfully between Nieve and Zoro. They could see the wheels turning in her head as she went over the pros and cons of traveling with the pair. She closed her eyes and thought long and hard—so long that Zoro was beginning to get impatient.

She opened her eyes.

"Negative Ghost."

Literally out of nowhere, a negative ghost appeared with a black suitcase that was covered in gothic designs and frilly lace. Perona took the suitcase from the ghost and smirked as the ghost flew around her and soared straight through Zoro's stomach. The negative ghost disappeared into the air and Perona ignored the green-haired swordsman as he collapsed to the ground. She looked to Nieve instead.

"Alright, I'll come," she said.

"Only if Zoro-sama isn't your slave anymore!" Nieve replied, crossing her arms. Perona sighed as an imaginary purple cloud engulfed the swordsman.

"Alright fine. But if we get captured by marines before we reach the next island, the deals off."

They both looked at Zoro.

"I'm sorry that I was born," he mumbled pathetically, crouched on the ground on all fours. Nieve wrapped her arms around one of Zoro's and pulled as hard as she could.

"Come on, Zoro…sama! We're going to the…Sabody…Archipelago!"

She dropped him on the ground and he lay there, mumbling pathetically too himself. Seeming to give up, Nieve promptly transformed into a dragon. Once the last feather disappeared, she picked up the limp swordsman in her jaws and tossed him onto her back. Perona, more gracefully, climbed onto her back, umbrella in hand.

_Perona, it's your job to make sure he doesn't fall off. It's your fault he's like this in the first place._

Perona winced at the sound of Nieve's voice but she did as he was told and made him hang on to Nieve's whiskers, threatening him with another one of her hollows.

"Now hold on tight, you worthless piece of trash!" She told him gleefully. He seemed to slump even farther down as Perona wrapped her arms around him. Once Nieve thought they were secure she leapt up off of the ground and soared into the air, ascending high over the island and well into the clouds. Within a minute or two, they were completely surrounded by ocean, the mysterious and dark waters of the island their only way of telling which way was up and down. The island the three of them had been stranded on for so long was lost in the dense fog and none of them turned around to look for it. They did not glance back once.

_We're finally free, Zoro-sama! You'll be back with your crew in no time!_

"If I hadn't been born, none of this would have happened in the first place," her master replied distractedly.

_Oi, how long are you going to keep doing that?_

_

* * *

_Phew! I'm finally done with this! I didn't finish this chapter until about 2:18 in the morning! And without one drop of caffine! I'm going to sleep in until noon tomorrow. Wooo, Super Bowl Sunday! Go home team Packers!

Thanks for reading! PLEASE REVIEW!

-jacob-emmettluvr


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